Twelve Were Chosen: A Study of the Original Apostles

By David Laton

This book reviews what we know from Scripture of the men known as the Apostles. The intent of this study is to look briefly at the lives of these men to learn from them how to strengthen our walk of faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BibleTalk.tv
• Release date: Jul 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005208837

David Laton

Dave Laton has more than 40 years of experience developing and managing education and training programs for business, industry, governmental agencies, academic institutions and congregations of the Churches of Christ. Dave holds degrees in education administration, business management, adult education and a Doctor of Ministry in Religious Education Leadership. He is currently serving as the deacon for missions at the Prattville Church of Christ in Alabama. Dave and his wife Lynne are members of “National Evangelism with Sojourners” where he is currently serving as the Co-Director responsible for policies, procedures and guidelines.

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BibleTalk Books

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Copyright © 2021 by BibleTalk.tv

ISBN: 978-1-945778-94-0

Unless specified otherwise, all quotes are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction to the Apostles

2. Peter: First Among the Twelve

3. Andrew: A Brother Among Brothers

4. James and John: Sons of Thunder

5. Philip and Nathanael: Friends to All

6. Matthew and Thomas: Two Men Transformed

7. James the Less, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Not Iscariot: Faces in the Crowd

8. Judas Iscariot: A Life Wasted

9. Matthias and Paul: Transition to the Future

10. Faith: A Matter of Choice

1.

Introduction to The Apostles

Not long after Jesus began His earthly ministry and as the crowds following Him began to grow, He called out twelve men and designated them as apostles. From our view, there was nothing extraordinary about these men. Some have described these men as extraordinary in their ordinariness. They were not selected because of their social status, education, religious, or political connections. They were simply ordinary people, just like us.

Our Lord knew the wealth of raw materials possessed by each of these men. He knew what they could become. Except for Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him, they learned to turn their lives over to Him.

That is the overall message for us. We can do extraordinary things for the Master as we learn to turn our lives over to Him. Each of us has been gifted by God to turn what we might think of as ordinary into the extraordinary. The extraordinary things we do involve showing Jesus to others and helping them enter into a relationship with Him. That is a critical task for us as disciples. And just like these men, we learn that the power is not in us, but in God and seen through us as we each turn more and more of our lives over to Him.

In Acts 2:42-47 we see the early actions of the church just after it had been established on Pentecost Sunday. Of special note is the statement in verse 42:

"And they devoted themselves to the

apostles’ teaching…"

We continue today to dedicate our lives to our Lord and apply the apostles’ teachings. In this series of lessons, we are going to look at these men. We will look at their strengths and weaknesses and what we can learn from each.

In this first lesson we will learn:

The difference between an apostle and a disciple

Selecting the twelve

What the apostles had to overcome

The Difference Between Disciple and Apostle

In the gospels the term disciple is used to describe both followers of Christ in general and the twelve apostles specifically. A disciple is a common term for someone that is a learner, pupil, student or follower of a specific teacher. It is also used to demonstrate agreement and acceptance of the teacher as leader. Disciples would attach themselves to a teacher, even travel with this teacher for a while. Some of the disciples of Jesus traveled with Him in the region where He was teaching for a time. Others, like the apostles, traveled with Him continually.

Jesus was certainly not the first to have disciples. Discipleship was a common education model of the time. The value in this educational model is that it lends itself to learning by experience. This is where the master, Jesus in this case, was able to apply real-world examples and experiences to help the disciples achieve deeper understanding. Evidence of this is in how Jesus would bring in examples from nature (Matthew 6:25-34) and the many parables where He drew from life experiences and common knowledge to teach deeper truths.

In Matthew 28:18-20, in what is called the great commission, Jesus told the apostles, and us by extension, to make other disciples (followers) for Him. Our efforts result in disciples, or followers for Christ, not for ourselves.

The word Apostle, on the other hand, means the sent out or the sent ones. An apostle is an official representative speaking with the authority on behalf of the one who sent him. Jesus provided these men with knowledge, additional power, and authority to fulfill their role.

Today, each of us can (must) become a disciple of Jesus, but we cannot become His apostle. These initial twelve, and later Matthias and Paul, were the only ones appointed to this role. There were some people at that time and there are some today who claim to be apostles in the same context. They should heed Paul’s warnings:

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. It is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

- 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

How Jesus Selected the

Twelve Apostles

We read the details of how Jesus prepared Himself and selected the Twelve in Mark 3:13 and Luke 6:12. Luke begins with the expression, In these days. This is like Paul’s expression from Galatians 4:4, But when the fullness of time had come…. This clearly indicates events were on our Lord’s timeline and fully under His control. Scholars estimate this occurred approximately two years before His crucifixion so there was a time of Jesus teaching a larger group of disciples and then His focus on the Twelve who would serve as apostles as His ministry progressed.

Luke 6:12 records that Jesus isolated Himself with a prayer to God. Imagine that time for moment. Here is Jesus, the Son of God, praying to the Father, and no doubt in the presence of the Holy Spirit. This would have been a special time seeking the wisdom and assurance through this inter-Trinitarian communion. This should remind us clearly of